Wheel of Fortune
by BrooklynScribe
Summary: Just when Zach has everything he ever wanted, Ryan Lavery returns to town.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

Zach didn't know why he was going to the hospital. Ethan was unconscious, and if he were awake Zach doubted Ethan would want to see him. Truth be told, neither Cambias knew what to make of their relationship. Ethan hated him, and when Zach was honest with himself he knew he had a big hand in that. While he thought he was doing the best thing at the time, even he had to admit his reasoning was faulty at best. Yes, Ethan hated him, yet he threw himself in front of Garrett's bullet, without thinking twice. Zach was looking into Ethan's eyes when he did it, and there was no thought. He saw Ethan's eyes go wide, as if responding to some kind of sight that alarmed him. Next thing Zach knew he was on the floor with Ethan on top of him. Kendall was screaming, and he had guessed Simone was too shocked to scream. Zach had patted Ethan on the back, trying to get the boy to move. He was trying to ignore the sound of the gunshot, did not want to think of the logical follow through. However, the warm stickiness he felt on his hand seeping from Ethan's back let him know that the bullet may have missed his mark – him, but it hit a target.

The same impulse that made Ethan jump in front of him was what made Zach jump in his car and follow the ambulance. Simone had jumped in after Ethan's tall form on the stretcher, and the look in the young lady's eyes when she looked at Zach told him if he tried to pull father's privilege he would wind up in worse shape than his son. Kendall looked numb as she followed Zach to his car. The fact that they were going to the hospital was a given, as neither questioned the other. Zach wiped his hand on the towel he left in the car during the winter months to take snow off the windshield to remove the blood – Ethan's blood. Partially his blood.

"He'll be okay," Kendall whispered, grabbing his hand. Zach looked at her oddly, and Kendall did not understand why until she looked down. She and Zach both had the blood on their hands.

"What do we care, hmmm, stepmother?" Zach asked, starting the engine. Kendall cringed as if slapped, but she knew what he was getting at. They had tried to destroy Ethan themselves once.

"Zach, Ethan knew what he was doing. He chose to help you, to save you." Kendall wiped her hands on the towel and jacked up the heater. Zach remained intent on the road, his eyes bright and wild.

"Well, it seems my son is a decent human being after all. Now, if I had been right, he would have been a bastard and I would be dead. I was wrong, and now…" Zach did not complete the sentence, but hit the gas. Kendall gasped slightly, clutching the center console.

"Zach, Ethan is going to be okay. He's strong. " Kendall spoke into the darkness. Her husband's face did not even register that he heard her. Kendall sunk into her seat and sighed. Nothing was going to hit Zach until he knew what was happening.

Simone arranged the blankets on Ethan, trying to see some sign of life from her lover. Nothing. She knew from the EMTs that his heart was still beating, but he just seemed unnaturally still to her. She touched his hand, and it was still warm, letting her know that her Ethan was still there. But for how long she wondered to herself. She knew Zach had wanted to go into the ambulance, but she was going to be damned if the last voice Ethan heard would have been his. She hated Zach for what he did to Ethan, but now her hatred was intensified. If Zach had not messed with the Dragon, or had warned everyone of what he knew, Ethan would not have been there when Zach was shot at. Now, Zach walked away unscathed with Kendall trotting behind, and Ethan lay there shot and possibly dying. That thought repeated itself in Simone's head, raising in volume as they took Ethan into the ER and would not let her follow. That thought, the feeling of powerlessness, and the sight of an uninjured Zach Slater entering the waiting area brought out the anger in Simone. So much so that she did not realize she had punched Zach in the gut until she felt the pain in her hand.

"You Son of a Bitch!" she screamed out. She felt hands on her pulling her back. Zach kind of stood there, no physical reaction. It was the look in his eyes that made Simone stop. That look wanted her to hit him, told of pain Zach himself could not express. Suddenly, Simone felt her anger drain, and with that anger went her energy. The same arms that held her back were suddenly holding her up as the room swirled around her.

"Simone, calm down" Tad's voice entered her ears as she struggled to keep her breathing calm. Stay calm, she told herself. Stay calm. Her breathing obeyed, but her heart couldn't. Then, her eyes rested on Kendall. The look of concern on Kendall's face just seemed wrong to Simone. Her anger flared again.

"What's the matter Kendall? Sorry you didn't get to shoot this one yourself?" Simone yelled. Kendall looked up at Simone, her eyes flaring,

"Ethan lied to me." Kendall responded, but the looks on the faces of the people around her let her know that the part of her who felt she sounded childish was right.

"Oh, and lying to Kendall is enough to get you a death sentence? But Kendall can lie to whoever she wants?" Simone retorted, but her body was losing energy. Ironically, it was Zach's face that bothered her the most. She wanted desperately to hate him, but found that she couldn't. Unlike Kendall's little show of bravado, Zach looked defeated. Still, Simone couldn't resist one last dig.

:"You should be in that room right now" she barked, pointing at Zach. Zach looked at Simone, exhaled deeply, and for the first time since he came to Pine Valley he did not have that smug exterior. For the first time he actually looked old enough to be Ethan's father.

"Little lady. You're right." Zach replied, as he walked to the sunporch.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Zach stood looking out the window, and he heard Kendall's foot steps behind him. Lately their relationship had changed from a business relationship, and he did not know why or how. He was thankful for the comfort she was offering him, wanted to accept it, and knew there was no reason not to. Ethan was happy with Simone, and he could see from the lady's actions Ethan had a love that would carry him through. She was also a vibrant little filly Zach thought to himself, trying not to chuckle. Tiny as she was, his gut still ached from the shot Simone took at him.

"Zach?" Kendall's soft voice interrupted his reverie, as her hands touched his back. As always, Zach was surprised by the electricity that he felt when Kendall touched him. He turned to her and saw the concern on Kendall's face.

"I'm fine. As always, I will be fine. Ethan on the other hand.." Zach replied, pursing his lips and looking down at the floor.

"I know you are not fine." Kendall replied, handing Zach the coffee she brought him. Until he saw the cup, Zach did not realize how badly he needed the caffeine. He noticed that Kendall did not have coffee herself, and briefly thought of the fertility clinic. Still, there was no way she would have been a surrogate. He made sure of that…

"I did everything to keep my son away from Cambias. Thought I knew the right things to do. Instead of saving my son I taught him how to hate, and then I completely polished him off by marrying you. Now, he is in the hospital because he was too decent and good a man to let his father who did nothing but hurt him die. And you know what? He was that good man all along, with or without the money. He was right..I am the Cambias curse." Zach said this all looking at the floor, unable to take a breath. Kendall tried at several points to protest, but Zach waved her off. He knew what he knew. Ethan was fine unless Zach was in his life. This time, however, it may have cost Ethan more than a lover.

"If Ethan thought you were a curse he wouldn't have tried to save you." Kendall offered weakly, but she knew that wasn't true. Although Kendall could never completely destroy Erica because of her plots going South, Ethan was different. Ethan recovered from Zach's deception a lot more quickly than she ever did. Part of her had to admit, a lot of it had to do with Simone. While she had always discounted Simone as a ditz and did not understand why Greenlee was friends with her, there was something about her that was able to heal Ethan in a way that Kendall never could. When Ethan had caught Kendall and Zach almost kissing, something that Kendall dreaded him seeing because she really did not want him hurt anymore, Ethan paused only a beat before proceeding with the purpose of his visit. He was there to share a letter he had gotten from Bianca, along with pictures of Miranda she had sent him. While he quickly departed, it seems his presence and not his reaction was enough to stop she and Zach from trying to kiss again. Ethan, while he did not directly place himself in the way, was a barrier nonetheless. Still, barriers were not insurmountable…

She knelt besides her husband, and gently took his hands. "Listen, Ethan is going to be fine. He is strong, and he is going to make it. Now, you may have to duck, but I think you owe it to Ethan to be there for him- even if it means facing the wrath of Simone." Kendall added the last part to make Zach laugh, and she did get a chuckle.

"Strong girl my son picked." Zach remarked, still wincing when he went to stand from Simone's punch.

Simone entered Ethan's room, amazed at all the machinery. She knew she couldn't stay long, they told her he would be brought into the OR any minute. Still, she had to see him, if only to cement to herself that the past few hours were real and not some terrible nightmare. The proof, Ethan's still form, lay in that bed. Simone walked over and touched his hand, still warm. She lightly placed her hand on his bare chest, and was relieved to feel the rise and fall, She took her fingers and gently caressed his face, and she did feel him stir slightly, react. When she placed her fingers on his lips, she felt them gently move, as if trying to kiss them. Letting her know that he knew she was there. That would be Ethan, trying to comfort her right now. Simone got up and walked to the doorway. She could not bear to watch him wheeled into surgery, but before she left she turned and looked at him again. "I love you". She whispered the words into the air that she never had the guts to say. As she left the room, she made a silent vow that she would. At least that was what she remembered thinking as the room spun and went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"Will you pay attention, please!" Simone admonished Ethan, giggling as his lips nuzzled her ear. They were playing bowling on the video game Ethan had picked up for her, and she was trying to teach him to hit the most pins.

"I'm paying attention." He protested, trying to sound innocent. Yet, Simone felt the hands that were on her waist gently move upwards, stroking her shoulders and her back. Simone inhaled sharply, feeling the warmth and anticipation spread throughout her body.

"Ahem, this is not bowling" Simone turned herself so that she was no longer sitting in her lap but facing him. From her position, she could tell that bowling had long ago left Ethan's mind. He was smiling his signature smiling, and his warm dark eyes had a look that left no secret as to how he wanted to spend the evening. Simone felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine as Ethan repositioned his hands to caress her front while gently unbuttoning the front of her blouse.

"I said I was paying attention. I never said it was to the game" he responded, burying his face in her neck. The kisses started gently and gradually grew stronger, as his hands finished with buttons and gently removed her blouse. Simone reached under with her hands and picked up Ethan's chin, pressing her mouth against his, and then her hands proceeded to his shirt. Before she knew it, and yet not quickly enough, Ethan lay on top of her, his hands exploring her. The heat building inside her started to become unbearable, and she called out his name in a strangled whisper. Ethan repositioned himself and easily slid inside of her, and this time they both cried out. Although they had been together before, this time it was almost like they truly had, for that brief time, become one.

Then the memory faded from Simone's view, only to see Dr.Joe standing by her cot. She had passed out in the hospital. Ethan was not there lying next to her. His fate was in the OR, probably now. Still, Dr. Joe seemed to have a twinkle in his eye, as if he had some good news for her.

"Anything on Ethan?" Simone asked, pulling herself up to the seated position. Dr.Joe gave a nod.

"Well, Ethan made it out of surgery. His wounds were a lot less critical than we thought. However, when you went unconscious we ran the standard battery of tests we do, and something came up."

Simone froze where the stood. The happy feeling that she had suddenly turned into worry. She knew she had been tired lately, almost abnormally fatigued. Still, she had seen Kendall feeling sick at the office and just assumed it was a virus they were shooting back and forth. Could there be something…

"You're pregnant."

Simone let the news absorb into her mind. Pregnant. The one thing she had said she never wanted, and yet one word never made her feel so much…joy. She knew who she wanted to share the news with.

"Is Ethan awake?" she asked, smiling. Dr.Joe nodded,.

Simone jumped off the cot and ran to the waiting room, Dr. Joe yelling behind her to stop. She didn't care. The only thing that made her stop was the face of Zach Slater by the doorway. He looked relieved, happy. He looked like a father.

1…2…3…4…5

Zach didn't know if it was the business acumen of his Cambias DNA, but ever since he was younger he had found numbers comforting. While some people hated doing mathematical chores such as balancing their checkbooks, Zach loved it. Numbers were orderly and calm, concrete and functional. Whenever the anger at his father proved unbearable, he would sit with his ledger books and do the practice exercises teachers or tutors had given him. As long as he kept the values in the right columns and checked his work, there would be no mistakes. There would be no accidentally leaving his "girlfriend" pregnant. There would be no denying his son when he should have embraced him. There would be no sitting in a hospital waiting room waiting to see if he would ever get a chance to tell the boy that.

"Mr. Slater?" Dr. Joe Martin interrupted his thoughts, and although the man was not smiling with his mouth Zach clearly saw the look in his eyes. While many years separated the men, and Zach knew he was definitely not the father that Dr. Joe was, the look that he gave Zach was one of camaraderie. There would be reason to celebrate.

"Ethan came out of surgery. He made it with flying colors."

Zach, strong as he was, began to feel his body go a bit weak. He looked around for Kendall, and saw her talking in a corner with Greenlee Lavery. Looking back, after everything had transpired, Zach would kick himself for not wondering what exactly Greenlee was doing there. He knew that Mrs. Lavery had no use for him and from what he understood not too much more use for Ethan, but at the time he just attributed her presence to moral support for Kendall and Simone. Simone. The poor girl had fainted, obviously overwhelmed by all of the evening's events coupled with the idea of losing Ethan. Zach had known Ethan was dating Miss Torres, but he did not know the depth of their relationship.

"Can I go see him?" Zach asked, but Dr. Joe shook his head.

"He is not fully awake yet, but when he is I'll let you go in and talk to him." Dr. Joe promised, his tone letting Zach know he was not sure of his own words.

"I won't upset the boy." Zach responded, the annoyance he felt adding a lilt to his voice.

"I never said you would."

"You didn't have to."

Dr. Joe eyed Zach coolly, seemed to be debating whether or not to speak, and placed his clipboard on the nurse's station.

"You know, Mr. Slater, what amazes me is how you can stand there as if you know all the answers. Your son could have died today – a son that you don't know and have made no effort to know. All I can say is this, instead of think you have the answers, how about asking some questions."

"Really?" Zach snorted, suddenly angry by Dr. Joe's lecture. "I didn't know you were a psychologist in your spare time."

"Don't be funny Mr. Slater. You are here only because your son thought your life was worth saving. How about you ask yourself, from Ethan's point of view, if that is true. If not, how about you try making it so."

Zach went to open his mouth, and for once found nothing coming out.


End file.
